Hochstrasser R.M. Molecular Aspects of Symmetry

New York: W A. Benjamin, Inc., 1966. — 369 p.This book is intended to be simple enough for seniors in certain excellent departments, and for all first- or second-year graduate students in chemistry. I would envisage the book being used as a text in a one-semester course in chemical physics, or as a supplementary text in a more physically oriented course. A rather wide range of topics is treated in the last few chapters, and a course would be no less coherent if some of these subjects were omitted. It is hoped that the material offers some choice in this regard to the instructor. The principal aim of the book is to provide, in a single volume, the background, formalism, and application of group theoretical notions as they relate to molecular problems. An attempt has been made to make the presentation simple, although, hopefully, not at the expense of rigor. Very little mathematics is required of the student other than some formal and conceptual understanding of the eigenvalue problem in quantum mechanics including the Hamiltonian formalism. Whenever possible, the physical nature of the problems is discussed. The chapters involving applications are designed to emphasize the participation of group theory but frequently they also contain the relevant physics. The special interest that I have in the electronic properties of molecules has determined to a great extent the choice of material, yet the chosen examples serve as well as any other to bring out the use of formal symmetry arguments and group theoretical language.The Utility of Symmetry in Chemistry
Some Mathematical Apparatus
Point Symmetry Groups
Representations of Finite Groups
Function Vectors, Linear Operators, Representations
Characters of the Irreducible Representations of Finite Groups
Symmetry and Molecular Theory
Selection Rules and Molecular Structure
Symmetry and Spin in Molecules
Applications of Symmetry to Organic Molecular Crystals and Aggregates
Group Character Tables